7 of the Most Practical Uses for Evernote

7 of the Most Practical Uses for Evernote

Describing Evernote is much like describing a spiral staircase without using your hands. In fact, when it was first described to me, I dismissed it as something I didn’t need. My well-designed systems of folders inside folders on my computer served me well.

Over time, my phone and tablet became more important in my work and play. I realized how they lacked that neat folder structure. Accessing reference information was more of a chore. It was something that generally waited until I could return to my desktop computer.

And then came Evernote…

The “notebook” setup in Evernote provided the missing organizational structure. The ability to open notes was easy and lightening fast. Notice I said “notes” and not “documents.” Today’s digitally-connected world is less focused on printed documents. It’s all about finding and sharing the information we need at a moment’s notice.

Sometimes, the best way to describe something is to give people enough examples of how to use it that they jump in. When you start experimenting with something, you generally figure out how to make it work. So, let’s get started.

7 things you could keep in Evernote:

Recipes. Each recipe is its own note. (Think of a note like an index card.) My wife and I were baking a cake for Easter and needed to buy the ingredients. No need to hunt the recipe. I tap Evernote on my phone and search for “cake.” The recipe, with all the needed ingredients, is the first hit. If you had lots of recipes in your “Recipes” notebook, further organize them with “tags.” Examples might include “Desserts,” “Chicken,” or “Salads.”

Use Evernote to store recipes

Random pieces of information. When you shop for air filters, what size does your unit take? When you check into a hotel, what’s your rewards number? How about the tag number on your car? What size shirt does Uncle John wear? Create a notebook called “Personal Information.” List these bits of information in alphabetical order. In mine, one note is for “A-C,” another “D-F,” etc.

Gift Ideas. As a whole, we are good at using our phones to snap pictures. The problem is the result is just a picture. There’s no explanation and probably it’s lumped together with other random pictures. In Evernote, tap the camera icon and snap the picture. Add text to explain what it is and what you need to do about it. You might include the price of the gift, where you found it, and the name of the potential recipient. Tap the menu to select the “Gift Ideas” notebook as the destination. When it comes time to buy, your information is in one place.

Medical information. Don’t you love the waiting-room experience? The nurse hands you that clipboard where you re-create, out of your head, every medication and ailment. Create a note in Evernote and put all that information there. You’ll thank me for that tip on the next doctor visit.

Pet information. My wife and I have owned Shelties for 27 years. Each dog has a notebook in Evernote. Inside the notebook, each significant vet visit is a note. A note tracks the weight of the dog at each visit. Another note provides all the adoption information about the dog: microchip number, age, and information about its history. Before we adopted Sally, the rescue owner took a video of Sally at play with another Sheltie. He posted it as an unlisted video on YouTube and sent us the link. We created a note in the “Sally” notebook and put the link. Later, we added a picture of her the day she came to live with us.

Tracking weight at Vet visits

Trip Information. Create a notebook for the upcoming trip. As airlines and hotel confirmations arrive in the email inbox, forward them to Evernote. See an interesting article online about a place you will be visiting? Use the Evernote Web Clipper to put the full text of the article and pictures into your notebook for the trip.

Owner’s manuals. Search for and download digital copies of the manuals online. Now, create a new note and drag that digital copy into it. PDFs display nicely and every word in it is searchable.

Why not get started now?

The best way to learn Evernote is to jump in with both feet. The more you use it, the easier it becomes and the more you will find your own uses. In your browser, go here and create your account today.

Small disclaimer:

In addition to being a happy Evernote user, I am also an Evernote Certified Consultant. That means I have the knowledge and skills to work with everything from individuals new to Evernote all the way up to businesses who wish to use Evernote to improve the way they handle information.

Do you already use Evernote? If so, what are some of your favorite uses? Leave me a comment. 200 million people use Evernote, and more begin the journey every day. Your comment might just help someone else.

Great post! My main use for Evernote is saving clips from online articles (using Evernote’s wonderful Web Cliipper), screenshots of pages from ebooks, and photos of book highlights from the paper books I read (I LOVE scannable).

When I first started using Evernote I thought it would be like having perfect recall of everything I wanted to remember, which is mostly stuff I read. And it was…for the first hundreds notes or so. The problem is that once you accumulate hundreds or thousands of notes (like me), the difference between saving something and not saving something is negligible. I drop a new note into my ocean of notes, soon forget about it, and it’s gone forever.

Evernote has great organizational tools, but my problem isn’t organization. It’s remembering all the stuff I organize.

Thanks for the feedback. You make a good point. It’s much like the public library. If you know what you are looking for, you can find it. as often as not, when I go to the shelf to retrieve the book, I see two more books right beside it that look interesting but had no idea there were there.

I have already added “Research crusoe.com” to my task list.

The_Repentant_Curmudgeon

Actually it’s crusoe.co (which tells me it’s a startup that didn’t want to invest development resources into their domain name!)

Join the list to stay in touch!

Email subscribers get additional perks. First is an ebook teaching you how to get your desk clear once and for all.

Then, learn how I structure Toodledo for total control and peace of mind.

It's all free for being an email subscriber.

Get my blog posts in your Email

Leave Blank:Do Not Change:

Your email:

Click Cover for Catalog

Archives

Archives

Categories

Categories

"Great workshop. Fabulously well informed and entertaining presenter who shared his knowledge in a readily understandable format. Helpful handout. Thank you – well worth the trip from Ottawa."

Principal - Ottawa

"I will put it unequivocally: yours is the first workshop for professional development I have been to that has had a daily effect on lowering my stress levels and being more aware of the things I need to do on a daily basis. I cannot thank you enough."

Principal - from Quebec

"Everyday is now easier knowing I know where my day is going and not worrying over where everything is. The simplicity is almost embarrassing. Thank you again. I waited about 6 months to let you know, but this only proves that I’m walking proof your techniques work long term. "